Wednesday, September 20, 2000
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Wednesday, September 20, 2000 |
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County may require septic tanks to be pumped By DAVE HAMRICK Large numbers of Fayette residents are not having their septic tanks regularly pumped out, adding to the danger of mass failures, according to an issue paper on septage developed by the county's Environmental Committee. "In Fayette County, if tanks are pumped as recommended, it can be estimated that between 8.6 million and 1.7 million gallons of septage could be pumped each year," according to the issue paper. The wide range from 8.6 to 1.7 million is due to the fact that experts vary that much in their opinions of how often tanks should be pumped from every two years to every ten years. But Clayton County's W. B. Casey sewer treatment plant, the only facility near Fayette that handles septage, is receiving only about 648,000 gallons a year from Fayette County, maybe even less. Even if the conservative ten-year recommendation is used, that means that only 38 percent of Fayette's 17,000 septic tanks are being pumped regularly, the paper says. During a recent discussion of the problem among members of the Fayette County Water Committee, County Attorney Bill McNally suggested it may be time the county considered requiring periodic pumping. "Some counties require a clean-out so it's not a matter of just doing these things when septic tanks fail," he said. Water system director Tony Parrott said many mortgage companies are now requiring letters stating that septic systems have been pumped out before they'll lend money for home purchases. A special county Environmental Committee is studying the long-term problem of septic tank failures because Fayette has no plans to ever provide sewer service in the unincorporated area. Some of the county's older homes don't have room for a second septic system if the original one should fail, in which case some homeowners may lose their homes, according to officials. The Water Committee and Environmental Committee will continue to discuss such environmental problems, making recommendations to the County Commission from time to time.
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